Healthcare Cost Containment: October 2017

Healthcare Cost Containment subscribers can access the individual articles and web exclusives listed below.

Population Health Management

UI Health Cuts ED Homeless Patient Costs by 45 Percent 

By Laura Ramos Hegwer

The Illinois public hospital pays $1,000 per patient per month to an outside agency to house 27 homeless patients in furnished, one-bedroom apartments. This investment is significantly less than the nearly $3,000 per patient per day that UI Health and managed care organizations were spending on some chronically homeless patients.

Dietary Services

Henry Ford Health System Cuts Food Service Net Cost Per Patient Day 

By Laura Ramos Hegwer

The health system achieved a 1-3 percent cost reduction by moving to self-operated services and streamlining vendors, while adding room service and healthier food options.

Clinical Cost Savings

Community-Based Palliative Care Results in Positive Fiscal Impact for Providers and Payers

By Greer Myers

Community-based palliative care is a community-focused care management strategy that ideally reaches patients in the home, before their conditions seriously deteriorate. The result is care that creates better alignment with personal wishes and reduces economic burdens for all stakeholders.

Supply Chain Management

Hospital Supply Chain Presents Prime Opportunity to Reduce Costs

An interview with Christine Torres, Main Line Health

A Main Line Health hospital executive describes how her health system focused on reducing variation to develop a sustainable model that addresses reduced payer payments and other stresses on revenue while maintaining high-quality patient care. 

Sidebar:  Hospitals Have Opportunity to Save $23B While Maintaining Quality  

Cost Accounting

Cost Accounting Talent and Resources: The Missing Link to Support Cost Transformation

By Daniel Seargeant and Catherine Savage

From our sponsor Kaufman, Hall & Associates

Cost accounting teams with the time and expertise to accurately and efficiently produce, interpret, and socialize data throughout hospitals and health systems are investments with huge potential returns.

Sidebar: Healthcare Executives Dissatisfied with Cost Transformation Progress

Technology

Carolinas Healthcare System Saved $1.5M Annually by Using Remote Interpreter Technology 

By Danilo Formolo and David Fetterolf

The health system increased patient interpreter services from 370,211 minutes in 2015 to 915,466 in 2016, but still experienced a systemwide language access expense reduction of $203,360. 

Healthcare Costs at a Glance

Inflammatory Disease and Diabetes Treatment Top the List of Drug Spending Through 2019

Increased utilization will drive a 10-13 percent increase in drug spending through 2019. The biggest increases will occur in drug spending for inflammatory diseases and diabetic treatment.